The Seattle Seahawks open the 2024 NFL regular season against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 8 at Lumen Field.
The new era under first-year coach Mike Macdonald will kick off with an old question -- do the Seahawks have a good enough offensive line?
Left tackle and left guard seem to be the only sure things of the starting five, with Charles Cross appearing set for a breakout in Year 3 and Laken Tomlinson giving Seattle's young line a reliable veteran next to him. There's question marks at the other three spots: How quickly can Connor Williams get ready to play and back to form following ACL surgery? Will Anthony Bradford or Christian Haynes emerge as the winner at right guard? How long will Seattle have to rely on George Fant at right tackle? And whenever Abraham Lucas comes back from his knee surgery, can he stay back?
General manager John Schneider, no stranger to late-summer wheeling and dealing, has made three trades this month. He sent backup center Nick Harris to the Cleveland Browns for a late-round pick swap in 2026. More recently, he dealt cornerback Michael Jackson to the Carolina Panthers for inside linebacker Michael Barrett and then traded outside linebacker Darrell Taylor to the Chicago Bears for a 2025 sixth-round pick. With that extra sixth-rounder plus projected compensatory picks in the fourth and fifth rounds next year, could Schneider have another trade up his sleeve?
The Seahawks' roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET Tuesday. Here is a projection of what it will look like heading into Week 1:
QUARTERBACK (2): Geno Smith, Sam Howell
So much for the speculation that accompanied Howell's arrival via a March trade with Washington that he'd push Smith for the starting job. While Smith has looked like he's in complete control of new coordinator Ryan Grubb's offense, Howell has looked far behind -- though he's been much sharper in the preseason than in practice. The Seahawks have long kept only two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster and will continue to do so. That means PJ Walker -- or a younger prospect with more developmental upside -- heads to the practice squad as QB3.
RUNNING BACK (4): Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, Kenny McIntosh, George Holani
Walker ranks eighth among running backs over the last two seasons in rushing yards (1,955) and rushing touchdowns (17). Charbonnet is the clear-cut No. 2, a rugged runner who complements Walker's speed. McIntosh, a seventh-round pick last year who hardly played as a rookie, helped his case for touches in the No. 3 role with a 56-yard touchdown run in the preseason finale Saturday. The Seahawks may not think they can sneak Holani through waivers and onto their practice squad, so he makes the 53 in this projection.
TIGHT END (4): Noah Fant, Pharaoh Brown, Brady Russell, AJ Barner
Brown, a blocking specialists who's in line for significant snaps as the second tight end behind Fant, suffered a foot injury before the second preseason game and is hoping to return by Week 1. His iffy status gives the Seahawks one more reason to keep a fourth tight end in Russell. He's been more impressive than Barner, a rookie fourth-round pick who missed several weeks with a hamstring injury.
WIDE RECEIVER (7): DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Tyler Lockett, Jake Bobo, Laviska Shenault Jr., Dareke Young, Dee Eskridge
Seven receivers?! Yes, that's an unusually high amount, but consider: Bobo has looked like the clear-cut No. 4 with another strong camp. Shenault feels like a safe bet given that he's the Seahawks' best kickoff returner and because all but $140,000 of his one-year, $1,292,500 deal is guaranteed. Young is reliable and versatile. Eskridge -- with a much longer history of injures than of production -- has been on the bubble all offseason. He makes it in this projection because of special teams -- and because the team will be tempted to give its 2021 second-round pick another chance. Eskridge returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown Saturday and can also return kickoffs. Remember, the new kickoff rules will mean teams fielding two returners at the same time.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Charles Cross, Laken Tomlinson, Connor Williams, Anthony Bradford, George Fant, Stone Forsythe, Olu Oluwatimi, Christian Haynes, McClendon Curtis
In this projection, Lucas begins the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, which would keep him out for at least the first four games. The old PUP rules required a player to miss at least the first six weeks. The shorter time frame gives the Seahawks incentive to play it safe with Lucas, as does the fact that Fant is a significantly better replacement than what they had last season while Lucas missed all but six games with a knee injury that required surgery. Seattle is hoping Williams -- signed to a one-year, $3.49 million deal on Aug. 11 -- will be ready by Week 1 coming off a torn ACL from last December.
DEFENSIVE LINE (6): Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, Byron Murphy II, Johnathan Hankins, Mike Morris, someone not currently on the roster
Adding Murphy with the 16th overall pick after re-signing Williams made this perhaps the most talented position group on the Seattle's roster. If there's another move to be made here, it may be to add a big body who can back up the 32-year-old Hankins at nose tackle. Keep an eye on the Washington Commanders' John Ridgeway III, who's one player who could become available.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER (4): Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, Dre'Mont Jones, Derick Hall
One reason why the Seahawks traded Taylor was they felt his $3.116 million salary was too high for a situational edge rusher who wouldn't help them much against the run. That decision also reflects their plan to use a slimmed-down Jones more on the edge, and it also seems to suggest they aren't overly concerned about his availability despite the fact that he's been sidelined for most of camp. Jones missed almost two weeks with a hamstring injury then was hurt again during a joint practice against the Tennessee Titans ahead of the second preseason game.
INSIDE LINEBACKER (5): Tyrel Dodson, Jerome Baker, Tyrice Knight, Jon Rhattigan, Michael Barrett
Dodson and Baker both missed the offseason workout program with injuries from last season, and Baker has been sidelined again for much of camp because of his hamstring. That has forced Knight, a rookie fourth-round pick, into action with Seattle's No. 1 defense. Barrett could help the depth issue at this spot, but he's a rookie seventh-round pick who may not have made Carolina's 53-man roster, so perhaps there's more work to be done here. It feels like something may have to give with Rhattigan and his $2.985 million salary. He's an excellent special-teams player, but that may be more than the Seahawks are willing to pay a backup at a non-rotational spot.
SAFETY (4): Julian Love, Rayshawn Jenkins, K'Von Wallace, Coby Bryant
The numbers could change here if the lower-leg injury that Jenkins suffered earlier this week is serious. Wallace, the third safety, started the preseason finale in his absence. In this projection, Bryant makes it as the fourth safety over veteran Marquise Blair, who winds up on the practice squad.
CORNERBACK (5): Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, Tre Brown, Artie Burns, Nehemiah Pritchett
Pritchett may have already been on track to make the team, but Jackson's departure makes it more likely that the rookie fifth-round pick sticks on the 53. Burns is a vested veteran and thus would not be subject to waivers if the Seahawks were to cut him with the idea of re-signing him a few days later and keeping a roster spot open in the meantime. He looks like he belongs on the 53 one way or another. Burns has had a strong camp and can back up Witherspoon in the slot, though he left the field on an injury cart Saturday with his left shoe off.
SPECIALIST (3): Jason Myers, Michael Dickson, Chris Stoll
Myers' performance has followed an interesting pattern, alternating between great seasons and much less remarkable ones in each of the past six years. In even-numbered years, starting with his Pro Bowl season with the New York Jets in 2018, he's made 93.8% of his field-goal attempts (91 of 97). That includes a perfect 24-for-24 in 2020. He made another Pro Bowl in 2022. In odd-numbered years, that percentage drops to 80.6% (75 of 93). That includes seven misses on a league-high 42 attempts last season (though he did make all 33 of his PATs). Myers and the Seahawks won't mind if that trend continues in 2024.